Roberta Ferrara and Gianni Notarnicola come to Orsolina28 Art Foundation to develop “David Bowie vs Opera”, a diptych that places two powerful imaginaries in short circuit: Bowie and the opera.
While maintaining two distinct creations, both authors collect and seal human moments that appear again and again to be surprisingly similar: waits, shifts, openings, returns. Interludes and refrains become emotional geographies: interrupting time and coming back to knock inside us. Iconic scores guide the audience through a familiar territory, while dance opens cracks, rewrites and shifts the perspective. The movement does not illustrate: it reveals.
The project is also a re-encounter between Ferrara and Notarnicola, whose artistic relationship returns and renews itself, like a trace that never stops resonating. The result is a double chapter that uses collective memory to narrate the human experience.
Roberta Ferrara
Born in 1988 in Lecco, Italy, Roberta Ferrara is the founder, artistic director, and resident choreographer of Equilibrio Dinamico Repertoire Dance Company. She is programme director of Italy’s first Master in Contemporary Dance Performance – Equilibrio Dinamico Ensemble, validated by the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (UK). A graduate in Modern Literature – Theatre Culture, she developed Equilibrio Dinamico Pathway, a practice blending technique, listening, and introspection. She was associate artistic director at Odyssey Dance Theatre, Singapore, and has been a guest artist at institutions including Theater Basel, Teatrul de Balet Sibiu, Conservatorio di Praga, English National Ballet School, Korea Ballet House, Moravian Theatre Olomouc, Staatstheater Augsburg, Conservatorio Annarella Sánchez, and Conservatorio de Lugo. Her works have been presented in Europe, Asia, and the USA.
Gianni Notarnicola
Born in 1996 in Monopoli, Italy, Gianni Notarnicola is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. He was a member of Batsheva Dance Company (2021–2024) after joining Batsheva Ensemble in 2019, performing works by Ohad Naharin internationally and collaborating with choreographers such as Sharon Eyal, Nadav Zelner, and Noa Zuk. During this time he co-created MOMO with Ohad Naharin, Ariel Cohen, and the dancers. Previously he collaborated with Matteo Levaggi and performed with Avshalom Pollak Dance Theatre (2016–2018). Since 2018 he has been a performer with Aterno Company in Mexico. His choreographic work draws from autobiographical elements. In 2024 he received the 2nd Prize for Choreography and the Public’s Choice Award at the International Solo-Dance-Theatre Festival Stuttgart. Since 2025 he collaborates with Ate9 under the direction of Danielle Agami.
Equilibrio Dinamico Repertoire Dance Company
Equilibrio Dinamico, founded in 2011 by Roberta Ferrara, artistic director and resident choreographer, is a contemporary repertoire company with an international focus, recognized by the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Region of Puglia. Based in Bari, Italy, in a space fostering European artistic exchange, it promotes residencies, coproductions, and commissions, enabling exchanges among artists worldwide. Invited to festivals and theaters in Europe, the USA, and Asia, it collaborates with Italian Cultural Institutes. Defined as “a voice outside the chorus, with an artistic strategy distinct from young Italian dance trends and a European profile fostering synergies,”* its repertoire includes solos, duets, and ensembles up to fifteen dancers, with works by Jiří Pokorný, Igor Kirov, Bert Uyttenhove, Matthias Kass, Clément Bugnon, Marco Blázquez, Riccardo Buscarini, Aida Vainieri, Brandon Lagaert, Jill Crovisier, and the collective (LA)HORDE.